Capital chic: From Bay Area to inauguration

Bay Area attendees dressing to the nines for inauguration

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, January 18, 2009

Plum hand-ruched gown by East Bay fashion label, Verrieres & Sako, to be worn by Alejandra Campoverdi to an inaugural ball on Jan. 20

Plum hand-ruched gown by East Bay fashion label, Verrieres & Sako, to be worn by Alejandra Campoverdi to an inaugural ball on Jan. 20

Photo: Verrieres & Sako

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Pamela Joyner will be bringing several gowns and suits by local designer Azadeh of San Francisco. Joyner at her San Francisco home on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2009, in San Francisco, Calif.

Pamela Joyner will be bringing several gowns and suits by local designer Azadeh of San Francisco. Joyner at her San Francisco home on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2009, in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Barbara Engman, who will be attending an inaugural ball next week, models an evening gown, by Lily Samii on Monday Jan 12, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif.

Barbara Engman, who will be attending an inaugural ball next week, models an evening gown, by Lily Samii on Monday Jan 12, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Pamela Joyner will be bringing several gowns and suits by local designer Azadeh of San Francisco. Joyner at her San Francisco home on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2009, in San Francisco, Calif.

Pamela Joyner will be bringing several gowns and suits by local designer Azadeh of San Francisco. Joyner at her San Francisco home on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2009, in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Pamela Joyner will be bringing several gowns and suits by local designer Azadeh of San Francisco. Joyner at her San Francisco home on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2009, in San Francisco, Calif.

Pamela Joyner will be bringing several gowns and suits by local designer Azadeh of San Francisco. Joyner at her San Francisco home on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2009, in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Paul and Marsha Masse are the owners of Masse's Bakery in Berkeley, they will be traveling to Washington DC for the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, where they plan to attend a pajama party, wearing their pajama's during a fund raiser for charity during the week. At their bakery on Wednesday Jan. 14, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. less

Paul and Marsha Masse are the owners of Masse's Bakery in Berkeley, they will be traveling to Washington DC for the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, where they plan to attend a pajama party, wearing ... more

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Red ruffle coat crimped by hand by East Bay designers Verrieres & Sako, for Alejandra Campoverdi to wear to the Inaugural ball

Red ruffle coat crimped by hand by East Bay designers Verrieres & Sako, for Alejandra Campoverdi to wear to the Inaugural ball

Photo: Stephanie Verrieres

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Capital chic: From Bay Area to inauguration

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For the once-in-a-lifetime parties in Washington, D.C., this week, San Francisco's first lady did not fret about what to wear. "I'm basically wearing my clothes from my closet," wrote Jennifer Siebel Newsom in an e-mail last week. She's considering a dress from local designer Colleen Quen.

She and Mayor Gavin Newsom are not attending any of the black-tie balls, Siebel writes. "I'll just have a cocktail dress, maybe a 'green' one from my closet."

But financial executive Pamela Joyner is packing all new clothes created by her friend and San Francisco designer Azadeh. What, no B. Michael? No Chanel?

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"I've known Azadeh for a long time, and I knew we could come up with some beautiful things and her price points are really reasonable," said Joyner, one of San Francisco's best-dressed women, last week at her home, as her suitcases (four) were filling up.

No matter what you're wearing, scoring a seat at this party is cause enough for exhilaration. There are dozens of inaugural events to dress for, from pajama parties to casual breakfasts to luncheons and black-tie galas. As of Friday afternoon, the fashion world was still waiting to hear what Michelle Obama is wearing. At least one designer out there has been plenty busy these past few weeks.

Here at home, Bay Area wardrobe consultants, personal shoppers, retailers and designers have also been putting in the hours.

Customers asking for color

"I'm sending four ladies to Washington," said Ted Bolivar, a longtime personal shopper at Neiman Marcus who is known for getting the ladies what they want. Because of client confidentiality, he can't say who's wearing what, "but I can tell you that nobody's wearing black. Everyone wanted color for this happy occasion."

Azadeh has been working on Joyner's wardrobe for the past six weeks, and she's not wearing all black, either. Joyner will work the rooms in a series of purple, blue and white numbers, culminating in either a purple column asymmetrical ruffle gown or a blue and black Chantilly lace and crystal cap-sleeve ball gown, Tuesday night at the President Obama Home States Ball. In her suitcases are more Azadeh Couture gowns, cocktail outfits and a fitted blue suit with a kicky hem trimmed in tiny fringe.

Translation: It's going to be a hectic week, and her client needs to be comfortable, Azadeh said. "My focus was that Pamela's going to be running here and there, and getting in and out of cars, and walking a lot," said the designer, who has boutiques on Union Street and in Los Gatos. "You can't have wrinkles in the back, so organza, satin and taffeta were out. And I really wanted the designs to be youthful, just like our new president."

The two collaborated on color and fabric. "Pamela likes body-conscious designs with a little bit of flair, so I worked with French Chantilly lace and French beaded fabric from the same mills that Chanel uses," said the designer. "I've never felt such energy from my clients as I have these last few weeks."

"Alejandra ordered at least 30 pieces," said a very pleased and very busy Verrières, who was working on Campoverdi's frilly purple strapless taffeta ball gown with handmade ruffles and pleats, earlier this week at her Oakland studio. "The dress has been cut and sewn and now we're manipulating the fabric; we're hand-ruching about 20 or 30 yards of taffeta."

"I'm so impressed with the craftsmanship of their work," said Campoverdi, a former model and recent graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government who lives in Washington, D.C., and is borrowing the outfits. "I don't like to be a slave to trends, and so Verrières & Sako is a good fit for me, and I know I'm going to be a client."

Vintage loaners

Mill Valley author Alison Owings ("Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich" and "Hey, Waitress!: The USA From the Other Side of the Tray") bought a $1.50 pair of hand warmers; she borrowed the rest of her outfits from friends. One of them loaded up the car twice with pristine vintage and flea market finds. Owings will land in Washington with an assortment of loaners, from a long black dress to handmade knitwear.

Sen. Barbara Boxer has girlfriends, too, but she turned instead to San Francisco designer Lily Samii, who created a black, white and gold beaded tuxedo jacket and black fishtail skirt for the gala. Samii is dressing several other Bay Area women, including Napa Valley vintner Shari Staglin, who will wear a violet silk crepe strapless gown with side gathers and matching organza ruffle jacket (Staglin wines will be served at some of the inaugural events), and Barbara Engmann, who will wear an anthracite and sapphire silk Duchess strapless gown with beaded hand embellishment.

Sounds beautiful, but Marsha Masse will be in her brand-new, red, white and blue Obama pajamas ($40 each from Ojamas.us) Monday night, when she and her pastry chef husband, Paul, co-owners of Masse's Pastries in Berkeley, will whoop it up at the Obama Pajama Party, a children's charity bash hosted by actress Carrie Fisher.

"I love fashion, but I don't want to go fancy," Marsha Masse said a few days before leaving town (well, she did embellish her PJs with Swarovski crystals, though). "I can't think of a better way to live Martin Luther King's dream than by wearing pajamas."